- What do you think the word awe means? What about awesome? (Students may offer definitions based on something being cool, appreciated, or extraordinary. Make sure your teens know the actual definition. Dictionary.com defines awe as, “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder”; consequently, the literal translation of awesome is to “inspire awe.”)
- We hear the word awesome a lot; in your experience, does the common vernacular reflect the true meaning of the word?
As of the middle of June, 2021, there were 99.5 million posts on Instagram featuring the hashtag: #awesome. A quick look around the content that’s being tagged reveals that a large number of these posts are related to travel, food, and expensive items.
- Does a fancy muscle car or a fancy vacation really “inspire a feeling of reverential respect”? Why then are these the things that are labeled as “awesome”? (Answers will vary.)
- Do you think that the threshold for what is considered “awesome” is decreasing? Why or why not? (Accept all reasonable answers.)
Many analysts believe that one of the primary reasons for the dumbing-down of awesome is this decade’s prolific use of smartphones. New research reveals that the average person unlocks their phones over 80 times each day, accounting for up to five hours of phone usage daily. This is time and effort that had to be pulled from somewhere—time that was once spent looking at things that maybe truly inspired awe.
All around us, really amazing things are occurring but are mostly going unnoticed. From the microscopic to the astronomical, jaw-dropping phenomena are hidden in plain sight. One such occurrence is the flight of a dragonfly. Let’s take a look.
Play this clip [0:30].
Slow Motion Dragonflies | Relax With Nature | BBC Earth
Sometimes, we don’t stop and smell the roses (or look for the beauty in something so small). We rush from one task to another never fully appreciating our surroundings. We live in a beautiful world, but it’s easy to miss when our days are so packed full of classes, obligations, and screens.
In this week’s lesson, we’ll look at how we can shift our focus and stand in awe of what God has done.
Additional Resources:
U.S. consumers now spend 5 hours per day on mobile devices
